Sep 20 2015
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Record setting Day for Natasha Wodak and the Eastside 10K

By | Eastside 10k, General | No Comments

VANCOUVER. September 19th. Vancouver local Natasha Wodak continued her banner year with a win at Saturday’s 3rd annual Vancouver Eastside 10K, a Canada Running Series event.  Wodak’s time of 33:04 was enough to break the course record and was awarded an additional $500 for her efforts.  Dayna Pidhoresky  ij_ves10k15_1040was second with a time of 34:01 and rounding out the field was Kelowna’s Malindi Elmore with a time of 34:32.  On the men’s side Geoff Martinson ran a fine solo effort of 29:32 to crush the trailing pack by more than a minute. Calgary’s Trevor Hofbauer was 2nd and Chris Winter 3rd in 30:25 and 30:55, respectively. Defending champion Kelly Wiebe finished a disappointing 4th in 31:18.

Natasha ran a great race maintaining the lead for almost the entire event.  “It’s a really fun way to end out my season with a win and a course record is great,” said Natasha.  “My plan was to come out strong with the leaders and then I took off at the 2K mark and stayed out in front.”

Natashacr_ves10k15_0686_1’s win wasn’t the only record broken at today’s event.  The fastest growing running event in BC attracted 2,300 competitors and raised over $28,000 in support of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Watari Support and Counselling, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and the Breakfast Club of Canada. The record fundraising amount was achieved largely because of the efforts of the East Vancouver Run Crew and Fraser Street Run Club who raised $5,300 and $4,700 respectively.  Participants can continue to fundraise online until September 28th on line at www.eastside10k.ca

“We were thrilled with the turnout today,” said Canada Running Series president Alan Brookes.  “Canada Running Series events build communities through running and the Eastside 10K is a perfect example of people coming together to support their community.”

Information and complete race results can be found at www.eastside10k.ca

Sep 17 2015
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Tarah McKay-Korir Running For Kenya Kids. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 17th 2015. Lured by the challenge of Tarah Korir HSROT 2012
the ‘classic distance’ and, with a few years of high altitude training in Kenya behind her, Tarah McKay-Korir will compete in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 18th.

In addition to being an IAAF Gold Label race for the first time the event will also serve as the 2015 Canadian Championships.

A junior star, who represented Canada at three successive IAAF World Cross Country Championships McKay-Korir, has slowly built up to this point in her career and encouraged by her husband, Wesley Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion, she feels this is the time to debut.

“The marathon distance is something I have always wanted to cover someday,” she said from her home in Cherangany, Kenya. “ I don’t know if I will ever feel completely ready but I am confident in the training that I have been doing. I ran my first two half marathons this spring so I had started increasing my mileage earlier this year.”

In March McKay-Korir made her half marathon debut in Prague finishing cautiously in 1:13:39. Training under the guidance of Wesley, who is one of Kenya’s top marathoners, she has been running between 80 and 100 kilometres a week at high altitude with one long run of up to 32km weekly.

“I am hoping to use my debut marathon as a chance to raise money to provide scholarships to the young runners we have been mentoring in Kenya,” she adds, referring to the Transcend Running Academy she and Wesley together with the producers of the film ‘Transcend’ – a film about Wesley Korir’s life – have started. “I know how fortunate I was to get good coaching and resources in high school and university and I want to help athletes in Kenya to reach their potential.

“Many Kenyan runners lack fees to go to high school and our goal with the running academy is not only to create great runners but great future leaders of their Kenyan communities which will not be possible without an education.”

To help improve the areas of education, health and agriculture Tarah and Wesley, whom she met while running at the University of Louisville, founded the Kenyan Kids Foundation. The Canadian chapter, which is chaired by Tarah’s father, Blair McKay received official charitable status in Canada last year.

Already the Foundation has had a major impact in the Cherangany region where Wesley was elected as a Member of the Kenyan Parliament and where the couple and their two children live most of the year. With a combination of fundraising measures and donations from Canadian companies such as the Gay Lea Foundation four gigantic milk coolers together with power generators were delivered earlier this year.

Volunteers are helping construct water towers, wells and septic tanks as part of the project. In addition, a representative from Semex Canada spent a week speaking to Kenyan farmers about genetics to improve their cattle breeding techniques.

The Kenyan Kids Foundation literacy program is in full swing. Thousands of used books were also shipped to Cherangany primary schools along with computers for high school students and McKay-Korir is busy initiating a reading buddy program. And the Transcend Running Academy is also off to a great start.

“In June, we had a group of high school runners from Louisville Christian Academy come to meet our Transcend Running students and run with them and visit their homes and schools,” McKay-Korir reveals. “It is important to me that people see our students for the potential they have and not just as poor Kenyan kids in a remote Kenyan village.

Photo Credit: Transcend

Photo Credit: Transcend

“During the month of August I had a full house. The Transcend students were on holiday from school so we hosted a two week training camp for the high school students and then the week prior to their camp we hosted a camp for potential future scholarship recipients in class 7/8.”

With all the charity work she does it is a wonder that McKay-Korir is able to train at the level she does. However, she has always made her visits home count. She has won prestigious Canada Running Series races such as the Harry’s Spring Run-Off 8k and the Toronto Yonge Street 10k.

“I never lack people to run with in Kenya,” she declares. “I have been doing a number

of workouts and long runs with a group of Kenyan women who also happen to be mothers. There are some Kenyan boys who stay with us also and I sometimes also run with Wesley.

“Many marathon runners run for a cause and it gives them extra strength to push through the pain. Using my marathon debut to raise funds for these athletes to get an education is something very important to me.”

Among the group she meets up with a few times a week is Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon record holder Sharon Cherop and Mary Keitany, winner of the New York and London marathons.

On Friday October 16 McKay-Korir will appear at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon expo (6:00 p.m.) to talk about her charitable work, to introduce a special screening of ‘Transcend’ (6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.) and then participate in a Q & A with runners.

Wesley Korir will run in the Chicago marathon the Sunday prior to Toronto and then fly up to support his wife. Along with the countless spectators lining the Toronto streets there are many young Kenyans who will also be waiting to see how their mentor performs in her marathon debut.

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For more information and to register:

www.stwm.ca

Sep 15 2015
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Run Barbados Back Up and Running! By Alan Brookes

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

TORONTO September 15th 2015. It is exciting to see that the Run Barbados Marathon Weekend is back up and running on the weekend of December 4th to 6th. It has been re-energized with a new team at Barbados Tourism Marketing and a new organizing group led by Zary and Kristina Evelyn and Peter Gibbs. Barbados is such an AWESOME destination, and the weekend offers a distance for everyone, from Fun Mile Friday to 5K, 10K, Half-marathon and Marathon over Saturday and Sunday.  View the full race weekend agenda here.

It’s a very special reward at the end of the Canada Running Series year, just as the snow starts to swirl in the North. I recommend that we all check it out! I see they’re still using the slogan I created: “Come for the Run; Stay for the Fun” – and it’s a good one! That’s right, Run Barbados and I go WAY back.RunBdos_Groupshot

It all started in 1984 when then head of Athletics Ontario, Cecil Smith, asked if I wanted to go down and check it out, with the view to setting up a tour group of elite and recreational runners from Canada. I ended up taking a tour group to Run Barbados for more than a decade! Canada and Canadians became a HUGE part of Run Barbados. Richard Lee, who now coaches Natasha Wodak, Dylan Wykes, Catherine Watkins and Kelly Wiebe at the BC Endurance Project, placed 4th in the 10K in 1985; his future wife, Olympian Sue French (Lee) did WAY better, winning the women’s 10k that year in 34:53. Jeff Martin from St. Catharine’s won the marathon that year too! Toronto’s Laura Konantz won the women’s marathon in ’86 – the first of several victories for her – while Toronto Olympic club’s Peter Maher took the men’s marathon title that year.

We raced with some of the world’s best in those years: Irish Olympian John Treacy, 1982 London marathon champion Hugh Jones [who won Run Barbados Marathon SIX times], New York City Marathon legend Orlando Pizzolato. I actually did the Run Barbados Marathon twice, and the 10K a bunch of times. But it wasn’t all about the run. It was always about the fun too. Longboat Roadrunners’ Brian Eley, who still works on our CRS race crew met his wife Carmel in Barbados, fell in love and has been happily married ever since. Olympian May Allison and husband Mark went as a young couple in the early ‘90s, Toronto Olympic’s Laura Konantz beame a perennial marathon podium finisher, and in more recent years the likes of Matt Loiselle have starred in the 10K and half-marathon. Longboat’s Kevin Hayes and wife Melanie became regulars and Kevin designed posters and t-shirts for Run Barbados, as well as making trips to Bert’s Bar in Rockley an annual tradition.

RunBdos_IanMcQueen

Somewhere along the way, in the late 90s, the event lost its way, and our tour group took a break. Then from 2000 to 2003 I actually got a contract as Race Director, to revive the event, and we had SO much fun! We even had “Queen Catherine Ndereba” and her family join us for the 10K and on the beach in 2003. So many great times! Rope swinging on the Jolly Roger. Battling the surf at Bottom Bay. Catching more than a few rays on the pink-sand beach at The Crane or in Worthing or at Accra. Daiquiris at Bert’s Bar. Ian McQueen [who’s been part of our CRS Course Crew for 25 years] and Kevin leading cycling expeditions up to Speightstown and around the island.

And now, after another lean spell, Run Barbados IS BACK!

There are some special fare offers from Air Canada, hotel deals, and Bajan tunes, seasoning, Banks beer and a run or two calling! Let’s check it out, and get Canada back at Run Barbados!

BONUS: WIN one of two Trips to RUN BARBADOS MARATHON WEEKEND, including hotel (accommodations will be provided by Sugar Bay Barbados and Bougainvillea Beach Resort), airfare, race entry, shuttle and food! Winners will be drawn from all entrants in the full marathon distance and announced after STWM Race Weekend! 

Run Barbados 2014

Sep 15 2015
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Shure Demise to Run Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
Photo Credit: Photo Run

Photo Credit: Photo Run

TORONTO September 15th 2015. As a young girl Shure Demise dreamed of becoming a world class runner like her hero and compatriot Derartu Tulu. Then, in January of this year, the young Ethiopian raced to a fourth place finish at the Dubai Marathon recording a stunning time of 2:20:59 in her marathon debut.

That mark is almost three minutes faster than Tulu, the two time Olympic 10,000m champion and winner of the London, Tokyo and New York Marathons, ever ran for the distance.

Most remarkable was the fact Demise celebrated her 19th birthday just two days before Dubai. The $20,000 US prize money she earned was, indeed, an expensive birthday present.

The result is in fact an ‘unofficial’ world junior record although the IAAF doesn’t keep junior records in the marathon.

“I used to watch Derartu Tulu on television,” Demise recalls. “Then I got motivated by her brilliant talent and wanted to be like her. So I started running.

“Then when I started running I got to know about (three time Olympic champion) Tirunesh Dibaba. I heard on the TV that she was so famous, and an elite athlete of Ethiopia.”

Demise hopes the experience she has gained in racing in Dubai – followed by an 8th place finish at this year’s Boston Marathon – will help her as she prepares for the upcoming Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, October 18. It is a race she has only heard about from some of her training partners in Ethiopia.

“I know that it is a big race and some of the most well known athletes participate in it.” she says. “With the help of the Almighty I want to win this big event and become a well known athlete.

“I learned a lot about techniques of running (in Dubai). Before this race I didn’t know that water was taken (during the race) but in that race I saw and used it in Boston. I just want to set the Toronto course record and I want to go with that pace.”

Demise grew up in the southern part of Ethiopia in a town called Bore. It is in a fertile region known as Guji zone.

“My parents are farmers,” she reveals, “and the countryside is green land where many cattle are found. My parents have thirty cattle.”

“There are ten children in the family: five brothers and five sisters. My brother is a policeman and they shifted him to Addis where he works in police station. I lived with him at first but now I live alone in Addis.”

Like many Ethiopian distance runners, Demise was introduced to running at school where cross country is the main sport and where children all know the names of the leading Ethiopian runners. As a sixteen year old she ran 33:24 in a 10km in Assella, Ethiopia. That was at 2,430m/ 8,000 feet altitude and the result quickly attracted attention of coaches and officials.

Demise_Shure1-Bogota15

Photo Credit: Photo Run

Today she trains with coach Gemedu Dedefo as part of the Demadonna Athletics group. The group includes Aselfech Mergia, a three time winner of the Dubai Marathon and Tirfi Tsegaye. The latter won the 2014 Berlin Marathon in 2:20:18 and was the second place finisher in the 2010 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. No doubt she will provide useful intelligence on this IAAF Gold Label race.

In February 2014 Demise finished an impressive 3rd in the junior women’s race at the Jan Meda International Cross Country meeting.

Rather than compete on the track, which would be the natural progression, she decided to focus on road racing instead. A third place finish in the Rome Ostia Half Marathon with a time of 1:08:53 helped her decide to go straight to the marathon even at her early age.

“I saw many athletes being successful in marathon running so I wanted to proceed directly to the marathon,” she confirms.

As for the future Demise wants to create a name for herself much like her predecessors the leading Ethiopian Olympians.

“Yes, during my training time I met most of them,” she says, “but I didn’t get the chance to sit with them and share experiences. In the future I hope I can do that.

“I want to become a number one well known athlete and to participate in the Olympics. Yes, with no question I want to represent my country.”

In Toronto she will line up against a strong women’s field which includes the previously announced Sharon Cherop of Kenya, the course record holder at 2:22:43, and Canadian record holder Lanni Marchant.

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For more information and to register for the race: www.stwm.ca

Sep 14 2015
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Scotiabank Charity Challenge Feature: A Mile is a Miracle

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

By Max Erenberg via Sofie Yang

“In the fall of 2013, along the Toronto waterfront, thousands of people were sprinting towards a common goal. I was one of those runners in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5K. What caught my eye in the midst all the participants was the Autism Ontario team crossing the finish line with linked arms. In that moment, I felt inspired and newly energized.” –Sofie Yang

Road running is something special. It’s amazingly inclusive; people who run a six-minute mile are on the same course and awarded the same glory as those walking. It’s also an avenue for giving back to the community.

To bring this spirit to the Bayview Secondary School community, Sofie, then in Grade 10, and her friend Julia decided to found A Mile A Miracle (AMAM for short). Many others also joined, including myself, who were interested in raising money for local charitable causes. The goal was to bring the joy of running and giving to youths.

Starting the club wasn’t easy, but thanks to our teacher supervisor, Mr. B. Israel who doubles as a Cross Country coach, we were able to raise $760 for the Sunnybrook Foundation in our first year. As our club grew to include 46 members, we created a voting system for our race charity. We always try to keep it local by pledging to charities we see working nearby and participating in local races.AMAM 2

In true democratic fashion, by the time the 2014 Scotiabank Charity Challenge rolled around, we elected to run for the St. Michael’s Hospital neurosurgical research team. The whole team felt a sense of accomplishment and community; our very own Dalton even brought back 3rd place in the 13-19 age group!

It isn’t always serious running for us though. A Mile A Miracle trains regularly alongside the cross-country and Track and Field teams. As a member myself, the sense of accomplishment after a long run and the friendly competition between other students always motivates me to push myself during training. During the summer and winter breaks, the members get a chance to eat together, play Frisbee, or chat about school at our socials. AMAM isn’t just about winning a race; as Mr. B. Israel reminds us, “when you run, your only opponent is the clock.”

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has been our cornerstone event every year since 2013 with a bus-load of 20 students participating last year. This year, we will be supporting the Learning Disabilities Association of York Region. Come cheer us on at the finish line!

Please connect with us! We’d love your support!

Twitter: @amileamiracle

Facebook: A Mile A Miracle

Email: mailto:mile.miracle.bss14@gmail.com

Sep 14 2015
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Labeaud and Wiebe To Defend Eastside 10k Titles. By Paul Gains

By | Eastside 10k | No Comments

VE10K NatashaNatasha Labeaud returns to the Vancouver Eastside 10k September 19th ready to defend the title she won a year ago, but also as a much more experienced athlete.

Though she represented Canada at the 2014 Chiba International Ekiden, it was only this past March that the 27 year old ran in her first global championships, the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Guiyang, China.

She finished 60th there helping the Canadian team to a 10th place finish. Then this summer her 8th place finish in the Pan Am Games 5000m final illustrated her tremendous versatility.

Labeaud calls Kelowna, B.C. home but resides in San Diego, her husband Marco Anzures’ home town. Although her father was born in New Orleans her mother is from Montreal and so she has had dual citizenship since birth. Marco serves as coach and sometime training partner to his wife.

“I race in B.C. fairly frequently, and will be racing there more with the indoor season and additional road races,” Labeaud said this week. “I remember that the Eastside race was organized well, there were great volunteers, and wonderful crowds. The course is hilly, but there are some parts of it that you can really get rolling.

“I am excited and confident about racing the10k distance as it is part of my training for a major race this fall.”

Labeaud, who completed her Master’s degree in journalism at Georgetown University, must go to extraordinary lengths to keep her health and fitness.

She was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2006 and can only eat unprocessed foods while avoiding wheat, barley and oats. It can be even more difficult when she travels. But like the champion she is, Labeaud has had to learn to adapt.

On Saturday she will face Natasha Wodak, the Canadian 10,000m record holder (31:41.59), who raced that distance at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing where she was 23rd. The race is part of the 2015 Canada Running Series with points going towards an overall prize.

Wodak is coming off a busy weekend where she was a member of Rachel Cliff’s wedding party Friday, then flew to Toronto and won the Canadian 5km road championship in 15:58.

104_cr_ve10k14_7813_2The men’s race is no less compelling. A year ago Kelly Wiebe set a new course record in the event when he beat his BC Endurance Project training partner, Geoff Martinson, by over a minute. His time was 29:20.

Wiebe, 26, is also a versatile distance runner having finished 50th at the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and is a past winner of the Vancouver Sun Run. He has just returned to Vancouver following ten weeks of altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona.

“My fitness level is okay, not my best,” he reports. “Training has been going well over the summer – I have been very consistent – it’s just I haven’t been doing much specific 10k work yet. I have mostly just been developing a base for the fall season.”

“I will be competitive up front for sure. I can’t guarantee a win, because competition will be tough with guys like Geoff Martinson and Chris Winter, but I will be competitive with the top group.”

The race starts at 8:30 a.m. on the Dunsmuir Viaduct traversing the Eastside and Gastown before returning to the Viaduct.

Four charities are front and centre: the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Watari Support and Counselling, Greater Vancouver Food Bank and new to this year, Breakfast Clubs of Canada. They stand to benefit from the more than $12,000 already raised – double the 2014 amount.

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Sep 14 2015
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Train With Grains Recipe: No Guilt Granola

By | Community Leaders, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments

Train With Grains Recipe: No Guilt Granola.  By CRS Community Leader Jean-Paul Bedard.

This year we’re teaming up with the Grain Farmers of Ontario to bring you the best pre and post-run recipes to fuel your marathon training! Each week we’ll feature a new and unique recipe from one of our CRS Community Leader Ambassadors. For today’s recipe Jean-Paul Bedard, who will be running the Triple Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 18th, shares his recipe for Guilt-Free Granola! Take it from someone who runs 200km per week, this is the stuff runner’s dreams are made of! Do you have a recipe you’d like to share? Share a photo on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a “Good in Every Grain” Prize Pack valued at $50! 

As an ultra runner, I typically log 200 km a week.  Needless to say, I’m always hungry, but more importantly, I’m looking for healthy snack options.  My nutritionist friend, Lucia, sent me a granola recipe last year, and I thought I would share my amended version of that recipe.

My wife and I love this granola so much that I usually make it twice a week.  As an added benefit, you won’t believe how amazing your house smells when this is in the oven!

No Guilt Granola

Dry Ingredients:

3 ½ cups large flake oats (do not use quick JP Train With Grains Blog 1oats)

¾ cup coarsely chopped almonds

¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 ¼ cup dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened or reduced sugar)

½ cup coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

½ cup water

½ cup maple syrup

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. coconut oil

Preparation:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (If possible, set your oven to ‘convection’ mode.)
  1. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and give them a good stir.
  1. Bring the water to a boil, and stir in the remaining wet ingredients. Whisk together until blended.
  1. Poor the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until the oat mixture is well coated.
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out granola mixture evenly on the baking sheet.
  1. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 2 ½ hours. Using a wooden spoon, turn over the granola on the baking sheet every 15 or 20 minutes while it is baking.  This is a key step to help dry out the granola and prevent it from burning.
  1. Let granola stand for an hour or so before placing it into an airtight container.

JP Train With Grains Blog 2

When I need a protein kick, I spoon about ½ a cup of granola over some Greek yogurt.  In the evening when I’m looking to satisfy my sweet tooth, I take a ½ cup of dry granola and mix in a few (and I’m not going to tell you how many) dark chocolate chips… Trust me… It’s better, and healthier, than any cookie!

* Share your favourite pre or post run snack or meal on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TrainWithGrains for your chance to win a $50 “Good In Every Grain” prize pack! We’re choosing one winner every week until STWM!  

Sep 12 2015
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Oasis ZooRun 2015 Race Report

By | Oasis ZooRun | No Comments

TORONTO. September 12th. Matt Loiselle of Newmarket tf_zr15_6955_1Huskies and Lioudmila Kortchaguina of Markham both raced to convincing victories at this morning’s OASIS ZooRun 10K, in 30:58 and 37:03, respectively. Combined with the 5K and CubRun that followed, there was a record total for participation of almost 6,000 runners, and a record fundraising total of over $37,000 contributed for animal research and preservation at the Toronto Zoo.

Loiselle, back to top form after a sustained period hampered by injuries, put in a dominant performance under cooler [14c] but wet conditions on the scenic Zoo course known for its hills and its turns. He moved away from Berhanu Degefu, Dancan Kasia and Terrence Attema shortly after 2K and never looked back. By 5K [15:14] he had a 10 second gap on Degefu, and used the challenging second half of the course as an important, strong workout before he takes a run at the Canadian Olympic standard for Rio [2:12:50] at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in five weeks.

Kortchaguina put in an equally impressive effort, just 2 weeks tf_zr15_6990after running the Mexico City Marathon at 2,300m altitude, leading from start to finish. At the line, she was almost a minute clear of Toronto’s Ashley Comstock, with Owen Sound’s Jennifer Kehoe a distant third.

The rain then stopped just in time for the 5K, where 16 year-old Evelyn O’Hara from Mississauga, best known for her figure skating, notched a most-impressive 4th consecutive victory [20:38], with Mitchell Miron of Thornhill winning the Men’s division in 17:46.

But OASIS ZooRun has become one of the most-popular events in Canada Running Series, for much more than its competitive element. It’s a family day at the zoo, with runners of all shapes and sizes, significant numbers in animal costumes, many making their first foray into road racing. And then there’s the CubRun, that this year took a record number of 526 kids. The Caped Crusader was on hand to start them off and costumes were everywhere in sight – adding to the spirit of the race and bringing joy to the sport. Curtis the Lion was judged to have crossed the line with the best costume, but close on his heels for ZooRun sartorial splendour were penguins, rabbits, alligators, sharks, turtles and tigers.

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Click here for complete OASIS ZooRun race results.  http://www.canadarunningseries.com/zoorun/zooRESULT.htm

Next weekend, Canada’s only national road race series moves to Vancouver for the Eastside 10K, then back to Toronto for the grand finale, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-marathon & 5K on October 18th. Entries are still available for both events at www.RunCRS.ca

Sep 10 2015
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2015 #Eastside10k Elite Start List

By | Eastside 10k | No Comments

Vancouver, BC – September 10, 2015
Elite list and numbers for the 2015 Vancouver Eastside 10k

Men’s Start List

Bib Number First Name Last Name City Province Twitter
1 Kelly Wiebe Vancouver BC @kwiebely
2 Kevin Friesen Vancouver BC @KevinFriesen7
3 Geoff Martinson Vancouver BC
4 Theo Hunt Vancouver BC @HuntTheo
5 Trevor Hofbauer Calgary AB @TrevorHofbauer
6 Richard Mosley Vancouver BC
7 Chris Winter Vancouver BC @cwinter3
8 Nicolas Jirot Burnaby BC
11 Tim Huebsch Vancouver BC @huebyt
12 Nicholas Browne Vancouver BC @Nbrowne1
13 Bryan Andrews Vancouver BC
14 Nick Hastie Vancouver BC @nehastie
15 Gus Amundson Vancouver BC
16 Ramsey Ezzat North Vancouver BC
19 Kevin O’Connor Vancouver BC @Superkrun
20 Craig Odermatt Victoria BC
21 Simon Stewart Edmonton AB @stewsimon
22 Anthony Skuce Vancouver BC @outforarun
23 Tyler Ginther Surrey BC
24 Jack Cook Edmonton AB @athleticsnorth
25 James Newby Garibaldi High. BC
26 Barry Young Vancouver BC @BourryYang

Women’s Start List

Bib Number First Name Last Name City Province Twitter
41 Natasha LaBeaud San Diego CA @tashyrunner
42 Natasha Wodak Vancouver BC @tasha_wodak
43 Dayna Pidhoresky Vancouver BC @daynapidhoresky
44 Malindi Elmore Kelowna BC
45 Catherine Watkins Vancouver BC @runmommaster
46 Kate Gustafson Vancouver BC @atrueworld
51 Katherine Moore Vancouver BC @Runningintoyoga
52 Jen Moroz Vancouver BC
53 Shauna Gersbach North Vancouver BC @Roseyrunner
54 Mel Russell Victoria BC
55 Allison Ezzat North Vancouver BC
56 Tamasin Reno Vancouver BC @tamasinreno
57 Sabrina Wilkie Vancouver BC @sabrinawilkie
61 Melanie Kassel Chilliwack BC
62 Sara Massie Vancouver BC @SaraMassie18
63 Karen Warrendorf Vancouver BC @kwarrendorf
64 Margreet Dietz Squamish BC @MargreetDietz
65 Jill Costantino Burnaby BC
Sep 10 2015
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Lanni Marchant Returning to Toronto Waterfront Marathon. By Paul Gains

By | Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon | No Comments
2014 Scotiabank Toronto Marathon

Photo Credit: Photo Run

TORONTO September 10th 2015. After a season to be envied Canada’s Lanni Marchant did what any self respecting distance runner does and retreated to Thailand for a week of relaxation during which time she scuba dived and rode an elephant.

Sufficiently recovered the 31 year old then set her focus on the next major target the 2015 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon which is an IAAF Gold Label race and also the Canadian championship. Race director, Alan Brookes, is delighted to welcome her back to his race.

“We’re thrilled that Lanni has chosen to return to Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon – -the scene of her outstanding national record setting performance,” he said. “It brings an extra sparkle, an extra buzz to have her on the start line at Canada’s number one big-city marathon. It’s National Championships; It’s road to Rio. And it’s a thrill for the entire Canadian running community to have our stars racing at home.”

It was in this race two years ago that she smashed the Canadian women’s record with 2 hours 28 minutes even. Now she has one objective – to achieve the qualifying standard of 2:29:50 for the Rio Olympics.

What a season she has had. The London, Ontario native ran a personal best 10,000m at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, California May 2nd recording a time of 31:46.94. That was well under the the Rio Olympic standard giving her a place on the Canadian team in what was considered her ‘B’ event.

Three weeks later she tackled a world class field at the Ottawa 10k and wound up 3rd in another personal best time of 31:49. Then came the Pan Am Games in Toronto where she battled to a bronze medal in the 10,000m before finishing 18th in the IAAF World Championships 10,000m in Beijing. From China it was just a short hop over to Thailand.

“I will have to see how training goes the next couple of weeks obviously but my main goal in Toronto is the Rio standard,” she declared during a quick visit home, “And I won’t be making moves to jeopardize that. But in 2013 my goal was to come in and just have a positive experience at Toronto after the world championships (she struggled to a 3:01.54 clocking) had gone so poorly.”

“If I am in the race and, after about 30k, if I am feeling really good then I will go for it a little bit. But you won’t see me going out at 2:24 pace. Getting to Rio and making sure I have the qualifying standard in two events is my primary target.”

Though she was a little dehydrated after her Beijing 10,000m – it was 28 Celsius and humid at race time – she recovered quickly and managed a couple of one hour runs within days.  The success she experienced in the 10,000m has also given her added momentum for the marathon.

Presuming she hits the Rio Olympic standard in Toronto she will then face a decision that few Canadian distance runners have encountered in the past: whether to double in the two events or choose one. It would be a nice position to be in. Her coach Dave Mills wants her to double, she says.

“Up until this year, definitely, I would have said the marathon is my primary event but I have had such success in the 10,000m and I have only been focusing on it for such a short period,  just a year really,” she offers. “There’s also the potential that this work I am doing for the 10,000m will benefit my marathon in the long run as well.

SVHM 2015

Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon 2015

“That’s why I am doing the marathon in Toronto. I don’t want to count myself out of the marathon. I have run 2:28 and I think I can better that mark at some point in my career. After the fall I will know better whether I should stick with the 10,000m for a couple of years or dabble in both or, if the writing is on the wall and I blow one out of the water in Toronto, then I might be a marathoner who does 10k training to up her game for the marathon.”

Marchant has been working as a criminal lawyer with a law firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee the past few years and the partners have been extremely supportive of her running endeavours. She credits them for allowing her freedom to pursue her running ambitions.

“Yes the law firm is very supportive,” she confirms. “I am in contact with them when I am at training camps, at the world championships and when I was in Thailand. They understand. They will load me up in my off season. I am not tooting my own horn but I am good at research, good at writing arguments.  That’s a role I can fill for them. It’s a really good fit. It’s not like they are losing out when I am gone. I share what I bring in. If I don’t bring anything in then it doesn’t cost them anything to have me. There is no overhead.”

As she has done in previous years Marchant plans to spend part of the winter training at high altitude in Kenya followed by another bout of altitude training in Flagstaff, Arizona in the spring. Having the chance to double in Rio would be an incredible opportunity with the two days between the 10,000m and the marathon.

But first there’s Toronto and the formality of getting that pesky standard.

“I have had good and bad experiences in Toronto,” she recalls. “2012 not so good 2013 was amazing and 2014 I was right up the middle. But Alan runs such a great race and I am so well received in Toronto.

“And now two of my best performances have been there – setting the Canadian marathon record and winning the bronze medal at Pan Ams. It made sense to go back there. It’s the first year that Toronto is the national championships. I won the national 10k and the half marathon nationals so I want to go for the hat trick and get the marathon as well.”

Time will tell if she ‘blows one out of the water.’

To join Lanni at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Half-Marathon & 5k visit http://STWM.ca

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